M

andy Patinkin — singer, actor, activist — 
will bring his musical talents to Detroit on 
Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Fisher Theatre. His 
30-city concert tour, Diaries, features a mix of classic 
American tunes, material from recent recordings and 
a little bit of Broadway. 
“The name Diaries comes from a journal I was 
doing of new songs,” says Patinkin, who is accompa-
nied by pianist/musical director Adam Ben-David 
(see accompanying story). “These are songs that 
speak to me on every imaginable level — from funny 
and silly, to serious, to life lessons, to family. They are 
songs by Sondheim, Randy Newman, Queen, Oscar 
Hammerstein, Harry Chapin, Lyle Lovett and others 
— and one that I wrote.” 
Patinkin’
s new CD, Children and Art, was released 
last October in conjunction with the beginning of his 
music tour. Many of the songs he sings on stage are 
taken from the CD. 
At the time he was putting together his musi-
cal repertoire, he was filming the final season of 
Showtime’
s hit show Homeland, in which he plays 
CIA agent Saul Berenson. 
“In January 2019, I flew to Morocco for seven 
months and came back to Los Angeles for two 
months to shoot the eighth and final season of 
Homeland,” he says. 
That season begins airing Feb. 9, and he admits 
wrapping it up was very emotional. “It was an amaz-
ing time in our lives,” Patinkin says. “Homeland gave 
me endless gifts and wondrous experiences, but it 
was exhausting, and we were in need of moving on. 
Yet, it was unexplainably emotional. When we were 
done filming, I came back home to New York City 
and met a friend for lunch. He said, ‘
You are free,’
 and 
I couldn’
t talk and started to cry. It was a huge part 
of my life for more than eight years. I don’
t even have 
a reference point — every other job I’
ve had was no 
longer than two years. This was so special.”

JUDAISM AND ACTING
In Homeland, Saul is Jewish, and Patinkin was able 
to incorporate some of his Judaism into the series. 
“The first time it happened, we were in a safe house 
and a Muslim fellow thought to be a terrorist was on 
the floor dead,” he recalls. “I was standing there with 
the cameras rolling and I started to say the mourners 
Kaddish in Hebrew. The cameraman didn’
t know 
what I was doing, and the director didn’
t say cut, so I 
said the whole prayer. In another episode, there was 
a huge incident where many people were killed, and 

it ended with me walking among the bodies saying 
Kaddish again. It was an improvised moment that I 
did, and it became part of the fabric of the show. 
“There was a plaque written in Hebrew on Saul 
Berenson’
s desk that says, ‘
Save one life as though you 
have saved the entire world. Take a life as though you 
have destroyed the entire world.’
 I tried to get that 
plaque in every shot.”
Judaism has always been a part of Patinkin’
s life. 
Growing up in Chicago, his family belonged to a 
Conservative synagogue and, at age 7, he began sing-
ing in the choir. “Being Jewish has always been part 
of the definition of my being,” says Patinkin, who had 
gone two summers to Camp Surah in Michigan, a 
Hebrew immersion camp that no longer exists. 
By age 14, he knew he wanted to become an actor. 
“I went to the Young Men’
s Jewish Counselor Youth 
Center in Chicago and started doing plays,” he says. 
“
After being in one play, I loved it and never looked 
back.”
After a year at the University of Kansas, Patinkin 
transferred to Julliard to study drama. After Julliard, 
he started working at the Joseph Papp Public Theater. 
While there, in 1979, he auditioned for the part of 
Che Guevara in Evita. He got the role, played oppo-
site Patti LuPone and went on to win a Tony Award.
Since then, Patinkin has carved out a wonderful 
career in theater, film, television and singing. He 

MARK SELIGER/SHOWTIME

Claire Danes 
(Carrie Mathison) 
and Mandy 
Patinkin (Saul 
Berenson) 
strike a pose 
to promote the 
final season 
of Homeland, 
starting Feb. 9.

 JANUARY 30 • 2020 | 27

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